Advanced 2D Game Development

Could be interesting

that is very interesting :)

Seems to cover a lot of topics. I'm expecting the book to be thick and filled with lines of sample code.

Interesting?

The guy uses 600 pages to code an ugly unfinished RPG and expects you to pay £30 for the privilege?!

"create their own professional-quality RTS" - My arse.

Mein augen!

The 'professional quality RTS' is the same spiel any publisher sticks on their books. so taken with a pinch of salt. Having said that a few better textures and layout and that screenshot wouldn't look so bad (can't say how the game plays though). The bloke has authored a few others, some of which have had good reviews and others not so. I found some info on his webpage about this and it seems *his* book rather than one sanctioned by another customer. If you check his website be sure to scan the article on DBPro.
I have pre-ordered the book which isn't due for another couple of months but I'll let people know how good/bad it is then.

That celtic crusader is his?? Crap, what a n00b-level. Player poses don't match the tree, grass is repetitious, the statuspanel looks like a bad website... arf..

It doesn't make it any less a lie!Yes it would look bad "Hit for 15 Damage!" and all stats display numerically rather than graphically... It's like he's coding a commodore pet... oh... hang on...Ahhh...

And also that screenshot was picked as an impressive one to show off what can be achieved... so I would suspect the majority of the visuals are significantly worse that this.

Hmmm, not sure why I am feeling the need to defend this chap but that *is* a screenshot of an RPG Engine built via a VB Game Programming for Teens book. Graphics aside I think that's not bad going.
<edit> I just read your previous post.
I guess you don't like this for the same reason as it also shows damage taken.
Honestly, I don't know why such a strong reaction to a game written as a tutorial within a book for 'teen' programmers. So, from that point, somebody has to improve the layout and graphics... isn't that the way for most of these books?
I agree with your point on the Professional Quality RTS. Whether a lie or not it is marketing and (almost)everybody does it.

I have a strong reaction because I despise people milking money out of people on the strength of lies and misinformation. Basically as soon as anyone puts 'for teens' on the end of a title it means they don't really know that much. I'm thinking of doing a book 'Games programming for pre-teens' it will cover exactly bugger all, give you very little insight into anything of any value and come complete with a half arsed completed space invaders game and will cost $50 a shot.

My issue with the 'hit for 15 damage' wasn't so much what it said but that fact that it was the most important thing on the screen, in block capitals and dreadful typeface. Likewise the example you gave had graphical representation of the values rather than ugly text.

Although, the example you gave is somewhat wordy wouldn't you say? "Timberland Giant attacks Town Guard, strike probabilty [66%] ... MISS!" Seems a little excessive? Surely this could easily be displayed in animation?! Anyway...

I do agree but I don't believe he is responsible for the 'Teens' brand and, on his website, lists some of its failures. He also speaks out again DB Pro even though he has written book using it. Sure he could not take the work but he seems to have a large family to feed.
Might view is that screenshot comes from a book dedicated to creating an engine (that might be awful as well as far as I know) and the graphics and layout are a seperate issue. Maybe he need a chapter on UI but he states he had to drop 3 chapters to fit the page limit imposed by the 'Teens' brand.
Anyway, I am *hoping* a book he has written off his own back will not be subject to outside restrictions.

1. The large family was his decision.

2. Taking the work either means;
a. He actually think that load of crap looks good.
b. He doesn't give a toss about anyone but himself.

3. Having read his about me section, he drives round in a 5.7 litre mustang on a daily basis. I don't think he's struggling for pennies.

Anyway... Enough of this... Enjoy your book!

It just looks like typical programmer art to me. A fair number of industry programmers look down their noses at artists, as if they're superfluous and easily replaced by any primate who can hold a mouse..these sort of books tell - or rather show it how it is! A good graphical makeover from somebody with a good eye and jaws might even drop for what is probably another standard RPG!

All these type of books seem to have Noddy graphics anyhow...this one doesn't stand out.

Blimey, all that from a single screenshot which was from a book building an engine rather than a graphical masterpiece.
Anyway, as you say, enough of this.

Hope that I do.

I don't see the problem.
He's trying to teach the basic foundation behind popular games, and by the looks of it, the engine seems to have a nice feature set. Covering stats, armours, fighting, level handling/scrolling etc..

If he can teach people this for £30, when they have no clue to how to build it themselves, then I would consider it well spent money.

>using a royalty-free library of RTS artwork, C++, and the cross-platform game library Allegro.

Allegro is good enough...

That RPG screenshot is from his VB Game Programming for Teens book. The people look to be from Reiner's tilesets. Not sure about the other graphics.

Anyway, I think it's silly to bash him for writing a book like that, and not including professional quality graphics and UI elements. The book's meant to be a simple introduction to making games in VB. It's not about designing a nice UI, or being an artist. It's about letting kids get into programming, and having something at the end of the book that they can see. If they enjoyed the process, they might keep on that path and start creating some games that you'll actually want to play.

Personally, I wish I had a book like that back when I started programming. I had to hack through it on my own, with the help of the occasional magazine with a little BASIC code in it.

Think it should be a useful book - the code in these sort of books are examples only - showing how things can be done, and not how they should be done.

The only problem is the chap does seem to be full of himself.

While the graphics kind of suck hard, there may be a small possibility some useful game-logic techniques lurk in there that can be adapted for a better looking game. Although some decently drawn sprites would have helped a long way here me thinks.
He probably is using bare essentials (like text instead of pretty bars) to save the book from unnessacary pages.

(Or not - I havent read it :)

Do the techiniques qualify being called 'advanced'?

Lol I dunno, havent read it. All im saying is n.j.a.b.b.i.c. :P

I would say coding rpg logic was more advanced than beginner though. How advanced is 'advanced' anyway, to a beginner, everything is advanced :)